Wisetek, a global leader in advanced IT asset disposal, data destruction, technology reuse and manufacturing services, is calling on Irish companies to adhere to proper ethical E-Waste collection and destruction principles. This appeal comes in advance of International E-Waste Day on Wednesday 14th October, an initiative driven by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum.
Wisetek applies sustainable practices both through its internal company policies and the work it carries out on behalf of clients to ethically dispose of their IT assets. In 2019 alone, Wisetek recycled 274 tonnes of cardboard, plastic, foam, wood, paper and other canteen waste generated at its headquarters in Cork, saving the equivalent of over 114 tonnes of CO2 and 2,000 trees. This many trees still standing absorbed over 43 tonnes of CO2.
The company also estimates that the total amount of CO2 saved last year as a result of recycling at its Cork headquarters was over 158 tonnes, the equivalent of removing 32 average-sized family cars from Irish roads for the year.
The company has a dedicated environmental committee in place, with the objective of continually improving the internal environmental policies and processes at its facilities across Ireland, the UK, the USA, the Middle East and Thailand. Wisetek also aims to reduce its carbon footprint by a further 50% by the end of 2020.
Sean Sheehan, CEO of Wisetek, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of all of Wisetek’s operations around the globe. E-Waste is a rapidly growing issue that is often overlooked and we would like to commend the WEEE Forum for their work in this area. When it comes to e-waste disposal, it is of vital importance that organisations have a robust process in place and are working with a reputable vendor, in order to ensure materials are disposed of in a safe and sustainable manner.”
Wisetek also applies sustainable practices in the work it carries out on behalf of its clients and has the skills and expertise to offer value recovery, secure data destruction and responsible recycling services of retired IT equipment.
Wisetek operates a Zero Landfill Policy and has processed over 125,000 metric tonnes of electronic equipment and over 17 million parts to date on behalf of its clients. The company has erased and destroyed over 11 million disk drives and over 11,000 enterprise rack systems have been refurbished or newly manufactured. This amounts to approximately €1.45 billion in components recovered for its clients’ internal use.
According to figures from the WEEE Forum, a record 53.6 million tonnes of E-Waste was generated around the world in 2019, of which only 17.4% was recycled. The amount of E-Waste being produced around the globe is rising by 3 – 4% annually according to the organisation. 2020 marks the third annual International E-Waste Day and the theme for this year is education.